For me the only two factors I take into consideration when choosing the vegetables or herbs I'll have in my garden is the yield and whether or not I like vegetables. I'll never plant anything that will be a waste of space or any vegetables I can't stand after eating them for a day or two. In the long run, I get to save a lot of money - won't buy veggies for a long time. Do you guys into account the savings you'll make when choosing the vegetables or herbs you'll plant?
As to me - nothing quite beats the reward of having a constant supply of fresh nutritious chemical and preservative free produce - which not only smells and looks better than anything you can buy in the store - but actually tastes a whole lot better and is way cheaper too - there aren't any factors for me to consider - other than to have a constant supply of all the fruits, vegetables and herbs that I enjoy, regularly eat and can make good use of - as to be honest I really can't see the logic in putting time and effort into growing foods that you are not going to eat or use - that to me would be just plain daft. As almost all vegetables, fruits and herbs fruit abundantly - yield is not something that really concerns me either - in fact the more the better - especially as as nothing goes to waste - as not only do I freeze or dry any excess so that we have a year round supply - but I also give plenty away to those less fortunate than me. Savings don't factor in either - as they are a certainty - especially when you consider that for just $40 a year you can provide a family with an abundant supply of fresh produce for a whole year - so it goes without saying that growing your own is considerably cheaper - in fact as I haven't bought any fresh produce from a store in over 12 years - well apart from bananas - I've probably saved thousands and thousands by now.
I use a lot of chilli in my meals so it made good sense to start growing my own. I grow enough to see me through the whole year and have several jars of dried and ground chilli stored away. I've already worked out that doing this saves me around £100 per year as I'd generally buy chillies weekly.
I wonder which herbs will thrive the most in a small pot. I don't plant the herbs I use but I've always though about doing it. You end up learning about seasoning and gardening at the same time. But I'm not very good at keeping plants alive, so I wonder which ones would survive the longest if left unattended.
Although I have both front and back yards, I only grow vegetables on the balcony, since that's where I spend the majority of my outdoor time. Being out there reminds me to water and tend to them, so those planted elsewhere would or could be forgotten. I recently went out on the downstairs back porch, and was surprised and dismayed to notice that my Asian Jasmine (non-flowering vine) had died. There are still a few pieces that have survived, but I was surprised to see that most of it had perished, because it's drought-resistant, and I usually don't have to worry about watering it.
